Rumple And His Little Rose
by EmilyTheOncer
Summary: Rumplestiltskin comforts his young daughter Rose after the two learned of Belle's death. (Partially replaces the Enchanted Forest Rumbelle scene in 4x12)


It had been a few months since Rumplestiltskin received word from the Evil Queen of Belle's unfortunate death. It took him a few days to muster up the courage to tell his six year old daughter Rose. He wanted to keep the news from her, but he knew he couldn't. The two were absolutely devastated and heartbroken by the news. Rose wouldn't stop crying for days. She and her mother were always so close and now she was gone. Now she'd be alone whenever her father would leave to make deals. This caused Rose to cry even more.

To make the pain and guilt he felt vanish, at least for a little while, Rumplestiltskin spent a majority of his time furiously spinning at his wheel until his fingers bled. Or he would make merciless deals with the desperate people of the local villages and kingdoms to cheer himself up. Seeing the fear in their eyes always brought Rumplestiltskin joy.

Rose, on the other hand, had become extremely quiet. She hardly spoke, ate, or slept since the news was learned. Rose had even stopped reading, despite loving books so much. Reading books was something she always did with her mother. Now that she was gone, it became too painful to even look at a book.

Rumple saw this and tried to push his guilt aside, in an attempt to cheer up his daughter. Seeing her so upset and unlike herself made him feel very worried. Something had to be done to change this.

One day, Rumple said he needed to go make some deals and would be gone for a few days. Of course, this was a lie. He wouldn't actually leave his young daughter alone for days. That would be extremely irresponsible. He may be seen as an evil, cruel, and merciless imp, but he definitely wasn't a careless father. He didn't want to abandon another child, even if it would only be for a few days. The Dark One had a plan in mind. He kissed his daughter on her forehead and disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

Rose just sat there on the floor silently, hugging her stuffed rabbit tightly. After a few moments, the girl stood up, her only friend in her arms, and started walking around the castle. She then found herself in front of a large, white cabinet in the dining room that held some of her Papa's belongings. She had seen this cabinet everyday and was curious about the objects inside. But, she wasn't allowed to open it. Now that her father would be gone for a little while, Rose thought it would be fun and a bit rebellious to open it. However, she did hesitate before opening it. This didn't seem right. Her father always forbade her from opening it. But he would be gone for a few days. There would be no harm in just taking a peek, right? Her curiosity quickly got the best of her. Placing her stuffed rabbit on the long table behind her, the curious little girl opened the long, white doors and stood on her tip-toes to try to see what was inside.

The Dark One had been watching his daughter from his tower in his crystal ball with a sly smirk on his face. Belle had done the exact same thing, and he was sure Rose would react the same way her mother had. He saw Rose struggle to pick up the same, heavy sword her mother had when he appeared behind her, arms crossed and a grin plastered on his lips.

"Don't cut yourself, dearie!"

Rose gasped and dropped the sword to the floor, quickly turning around and looking up at her father with wide eyes.

"Papa I...I thought-"

"You thought I'd actually be gone for a few days and that it would be fine to play with _my toys_."

"Well you did say-"

"Ooh! I lied! I wanted to see how the little mouse would play while the cat was away," he said with a small smirk as he picked up the sword and placed it back into the cabinet. He said the same words to Belle when she had decided to sneak around and go through his things. Closing the doors and locking them, he turned to see his daughter, who looked like her usual, timid self.

Rose had looked down, a sheepish expression on her face; she felt ashamed for disobeying her father and actually getting caught.

"I'm sorry, Papa. I...I shouldn't have disobeyed you," she said quietly.

Rumple sighed and knelt down to her height, gently lifting her chin with his thumb. Looking into her bright blue eyes, he said,

"Don't feel so bad, I know how curious you are, dearie."

"But I went through your things when I shouldn't have."

"Well, your mother did the exact same thing and that's one of the many reasons why I loved her so much. She was very curious about the things I have here in the castle, especially that cabinet, much like you. You are very much like your mother, dearie," he said with a soft smile and tapped her on the nose with his index finger, which always caused Rose to smile.

Rumple's prediction came true and a small smile formed on his daughter's lips. Works every time.

"I'm like her?"

"Oh, definitely. You're practically a miniature version of your mother. You love to read, like her. You even dress similar to your mother. You have her bright blue eyes, her beautiful smile, and her very curious and _stubborn_ personality," Rumple said with a wink.

Rose nodded, holding back a giggle.

"But, your crazy, curly hair, laugh, and mischievous attitude, which are _obviously_ the best qualities you have, you got from me."

She smiled and giggled, which did sound quite similar to the Dark One's signature giggle.

This is what Rumple wanted and he pulled her into a close, tight hug. After a few moments, he pulled back a little and looked her in the eyes.

"I've been wanting to see that beautiful smile and hear that wonderful laugh of yours for a long time. I'd like to see you like this more often, Rose. I know you miss your mother with all your heart. I miss her just as much as you. But, I'll let you in on a little secret, if you'd like to hear it."

Rose nodded. "What is it, Papa?"

He leaned in closely and whispered, "She's still with us, you know, we just can't see her. Belle is everywhere. She's all around this castle. She's in the library, in the books, even in you and me. Belle wouldn't like to see you so upset all the time, I know I don't like it. I want to see my little flower happy again."

Rose sighed softly and nodded, a small smile still on her lips.

"Did I ever tell you about how your mother and I met?"

"Kinda. I know a deal was made and she had to work here as your maid."

"Well, that's the basic gist of it. But I never told you about how we fell in love. Would you like to hear?"

Rose nodded eagerly, her smile growing.

Rumplestiltskin took his daughter's hand and walked with her to a couch in the living room. He sat down and put her on his lap. Rose leaned her head on her father's shoulder and listened to how her parents fell in love.

"Well, it happened long ago..."


End file.
